Lockable top roller arrangement for a textile drawing mechanism



Aug. 17, 1965 E. DAUSCH P ROLLER ARRANGEMENT FOR A TEXTILE DRAWING MECHANISM LOCKABLE T0 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 21, 1963 ill-Inn Aug. 17, 1965 E. DAUSCH 3,200,446

LOCKABLE TOP ROLLER ARRANGEMENT FOR A TEXTILE DRAWING MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 21, 1963 Aug. 17, 1965 E. DAUSCH 3,200,445

LQCKABLE TOP ROLLER ARRANGEMENT FOR A TEXTILE DRAWING MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 21, 1963 All Euro? f/wsfjaujzfi United States Patent LOCKABILE TOP RULLER ARRANGEMENT FOR 7 Claims. (ill. 19-267) This invention relates to textile spinning machinery, and more particularly to a lockable top roller arrangement for a textile drawing mechanism.

The invention will be described hereinafter with specific reference to the type of textile drawing mechanism in which the top rollers are mounted on a carrier arm pivotably secured to the stationary support frame of the spinning machine. It is more specifically concerned with the means for locking the carrier arm in its operative position in which the top rollers cooperate with bottom rollers rotatable on the support frame about fixed axes.

It is known to equip such carrier arms with operating levers having two arms. One arm serves as an operating handle whereas the other arm is the actual working portion of the lever which is connected to the remainder of the locking mechanism. The total length of the operating lever is virtually limited to the length of the carrier arm.

An object of the invention is the provision of a top roller arrangement in which the latch member of the locking mechanism has a relatively long stroke to permit easy and full release of the carrier arm from its operative position, yet to reduce the length of the working portion of the operating lever.

Another object is the provision of a top roller arrangement in which the working portion of the operating lever and the motion transmitting means of the locking mechanism which connect the lever to the latch member are so small as to be capable of being housed within the carrier arm without requiring enlargement of the latter beyond its conventional size, and without interfering with the operation of the arm. Such an arrangement contributes materially to the reliability of the arrangement since the moving elements of the locking mechanism are protected against rapid contamination with lint and against accidental mechanical damage.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of a positive mechanical linkage between the operating lever and the latch member so that the lever and member move jointly at all time? In this connection, the invention avoids reliance on springs in the linkage, and thereby overcomes the operational difliculties which result from such reliance where contamination with lint and other foreign bodies cannot be completely avoided over an extended period of operation.

A further object. is the provision of a locking mechanism for a top roller carrier arm the individual elements of which are readily mass produced to close tolerances as by stamping.

With these and other objects in view, the invention in one of its aspects resides in a top roller arrangement of the type in which top rollers are mounted on a carrier arm for cooperation with bottom rollers directly mounted on a support frame in the usual manner. The carrier arm is movable on the frame toward and away from its operative position. Resilient means on the carrier arm urge the top rollers toward the bottom rollers, and thereby resiliently urge the carrier arm to move away from its operative position. Such movement is prevented by a catch on the support frame cooperating with a locking mechanism on the arm which includes an operating lever 32%,446 Patented Aug. 17, 1965 ice pivotable about a pivot axis toward and away from a locking position. A latch member is movable on the carrier arm between a locking position in which it engages the afore-mentioned catch when the carrier arm is in its operative position, and a releasing position. Motion transmitting means interposed between the working portion of the operating lever and the latch member move the latch member between its two positions over a distance greater than the distance moved by the working portion of the operating lever when the lever pivots about the pivot axis.

The motion transmitting means preferably constitutes a linkage which permanently connects the operating lever to the latch member for joint movement toward and away from the respective locking positions. The linkage includes an intermediate lever whose pivot axis is fixed on the carrier arm, but spaced from and parallel to the pivot axis of the operating lever.

Other features and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as they become better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational, partly sectional view of a top roller arrangement of a spinning machine of the invention in the locked operative position;

FIG. 2 shows the apparatus of FIG. 1 in the unlocked position; and

FIG. 3 shows the apparatus of FIG. 2 in enlarged section on the line III-III.

The top roller carrier arm 1 of the drafting mechanism 7 is an elongated sheet metal member of U-shaped cross section. It is pivotally secured by a bracket 3 to a cylindrical rod 2, which is a portion of the supporting frame of the spinning machine, schematically shown and generally designated F. The longitudinal end portion of the carrier arm 1 remote from the bracket 3 carries the front or delivery top roller 4, and a central roller 5 is arranged between the roller 4 and the bracket 3. The rollers 4, 5

which are of the conventional twin type best seen in FIG.

3 are secured to the carrier arm 1 by respective guide arms 6, 6'. The axes of the rollers are transverse to the direction of elongation of the arm 1 and horizontal.

The guide arm 6 is pivoted to the carrier arm 1 by means of a transverse pin 7 parallel to the roller axes. The guide arm 6 is attached by a pin 7' to an insert la longitudinally slidable in the carrier arm 1 to permit adjustment of the position of the central roller 5. A clamping screw 8 is slidable in a longitudinal slot (not shown) in the carrier arm 1 and threadedly engages the insert la. Tightening of the screw 8 fixes the position of the insert lq, and thereby of the roller 5. A clamping screw 8' passing through a similar slot in the carrier arm 1 and threadedly engaging the bracket 3 similarly permits adjustment of the arm 1 relative to the bracket 3, and is normally drawn tight.

The drawing-in roller 9 of the top roller arrangement is mounted on the bracket 3 by means of a guide arm 6" and a pin '7". The top rollers 4t, 5, 9 are urged against cooperating bottom roller 4, 5, 9' by means of respec tive helical springs 10 arranged within the cavity of the carrier arm 1. The springs which bias the arms 6', 6" are respectively secured against longitudinal displacement by engagement with the free ends of the screws 8, 8.

As shown in MG. 1, the top roller arrangement is in its operative position in which the pressure of the springs It) is transmitted to the bottom rollers 4, 5', 9' by the top rollers 4, 5, 9. The bottom rollers are rotatable about fixed axes on the machine frame, as is conventional The drafting space of the mechanism extends substantially along a surface defined by the common tangents of the cooperating top and bottom rollers.

The carrier arm 1 is held in its operative position by a locking mechanism which includes an operating lever 11, a connecting link 14, an intermediate or motion transmitting lever 12, a latch 13, and a catch 20 secured'to the machine frame in a manner not shown in the drawing.

The lever 11 is pivoted on a transverse pin 15 within the cavity of the carrier arm 1 and its longer arm extends outward through an opening in the top of the carrier arm 1. The shorter or working arm of the lever 11 is entirely contained within the cavity of the carrier arm 1 and is hingedly attached to one end of the link 14 whose other end is attached in a corresponding manner to a shorter arm 12" of the intermediate lever 12. Pins 13, 17 on the link 14- provide the attachments. The lever 12 is pivoted on the pin 7 which also carries the guide arm 6. Another pin 16 hingedly connects a longer arm 12' of the intermediate lever 12 to one end of the elongated latch 13. The other latch end carries a stud 19 which in the locked or operative position of the arm 1 is engaged by the catch 26. A guide pin 21 transversely fixed in the carrier arm 1 engages a longitudinal slot 22 in the latch 13.

In the locked operative position of FIG. 1, the pin 18 is ordinarily downwardly spaced from a plane drawn through the axes of the pins 15, 17. The pressure of he material passing between the top and bottom rollers tends to pivot the carrier arm 1 clockwise about the rod 2:, and the catch 2% pulls therefore the latch 13 downward in a substantially linear direction, thereby urging the intermediate lever 12 to pivot counterclockwise. The shorter arm 12" by means of the link 14 holds the operating lever 11 down against the top of the carrier arm 1. The device is self-locking as long as the axis of the pin 18 is below the plane defined by the pins 15 and 17.

As best seen from FIG. 3, the several elements of the locking mechanism are sheet metal stampings, and each element is composed of twin members symmetrically arranged with respect to a vertical longitudinal median plane of the carrier arm 1.

The carrier arm 1 is unlocked by means of the operating lever 11 to be free to swing into its inoperative position shown in FIG. 2. When the lever is moved in the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 1, the pin 18 passes from its locking position through a neutral position in plane defined by the pins 15 and 17, and upwardly beyond the neutral position. The latter movement causes the lever 12 to be swung counterclockwise about the pin 7, as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2, whereby the latch 13 moves downward and outward of the cavity of the arm 1 until the stud 19 is disengaged from the catch 20, as shown in FIG. 2.

As the carrier arm 1 moves away from the drafting area, the arms 6, 6', 6" continue to be depressed by the springs 10 until the guide arms are stopped by abutting engagement with elements fixed on the carrier arm 1. The arm 6 abuts against the guide pin 21, whereas special abutments 23, 23 are provided on the underside of the carrier arm 1 to catch the arms 6', 6". From the position illustrated in FIG. 2, the inoperative position of the carrier arm 1, the carrier arm may be freely swung about the rod 2 away from the inoperative to a fully swung-out position to give access to the same for maintenance and other purposes.

Only the longer arm of the operating lever 11 and the free end of the latch 13 project from the carrier arm 1 in all operative positions of the locking mechanism. The shorter arm of the lever 11 is small enough to be entirely received within the carrier arm 1. A movement of the latch 13 of adequate stroke, however, is not made impossible by the shortness of the concealed arm of the lever 11. The interposed intermediate lever 12 with its arms 12', 12" of different length provides the necessary mechanical advantage while occupying a minimum of space. The levers 11, 12 are pivoted on pins 15 and 7, respectively, which are fastened to the carrier arm 1 in fixed spatial relationship. The levers cannot be directly connected, and the link 14 is employed to connect them.

A leaf spring 24 attached to the bracket 3 is provided for releasably holding the carrier arm 1 in a non-illustrated position in which the drafting area is wide open. In that position, the hook shaped free end of the spring 24 occupies the position illustrated in broken lines at 24' in FIG. 2 in which the spring end engages the head of a set screw 25 which therefore acts as a stop. The screw 25 fastens a sleeve 26 to the rod 2. While only elements of one drafting mechanism are shown in the drawing, it will be appreciated that the spinning machine partly illustrated includes a multiplicity of substantially identical mechanisms whose carrier arms are mounted on the rod 2 and whose axial positions are determined by interposed sleeves 26 fastened by set screws 25.

To return the carrier arm 1 to its operative position,

it is first swung from the non-illustrated position indicated by the spring end 24' to the position shown in FIG. 2. When the lever 11 is then pivoted on the pin 15 in a direction opposite to that of the arrow A in FIG. 1, the stud 19 engages the catch 20, and further pivotal movement of the lever 11 eventually causes the axis of the pin 18 to pass downward through its neutral position into that illustrated in FIG. 1. The lever 11 may now be released. The mechanism will hold itself in the locked position.

30 It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosure relates to only a preferred embodiment of the invention, and that it is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for the purpose of the disclosure which do not 5 constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A top roller arrangement for a drawing mechanism which comprises:

a pp (b) carrier arm means movable on said support toward and away from an operative position;

(c) bottom roller means mounted on said support;

(d) top roller means mounted on said arm means for cooperation with said bottom roller means when said arm means is in said operative position;

(e) resilient means on said arm means for urging said top roller means toward said bottom roller means, whereby said arm means is resiliently urged away from said operative position;

(f) catch means on said support;

(g) an operating lever pivotable about a pivot axis fixed on said arm means toward and away from a 7 locking position;

(h) a latch member movable on said arm means between a locking position in which said latch member engages said catch means when said arm is in said operative position, and a releasing position spaced from said locking position; and

(i) motion transmitting means interposed between a portion of said lever and said latch member for moving said latch member between said positions thereof a distance greater than the distance moved by said lever portion when said lever pivots about said pivot axis; said motion transmitting means constituting a linkage permanently conecting said lever to said latch member for joint movement toward and away from the respective locking positions, said linkage including an intermediate lever member mounted for pivoting movement about another axis fixed on said arm means and spaced from said pivot axis.

2. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said intermediate lever has a shorter arm operatively connected to said operating lever portion, and a longer arm operatively connected to said latch member.

3. A11 arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said intermediate lever has two arms, and said linkage further includes a link member having respective spaced portions hingedly secured to said operating lever portion and to one arm of said intermediate lever for angular movement of said link member relative to said operating lever about a first hinge axis, and for angular movement of said link member relative to said intermediate lever about a second hinge axis, said pivot axis and said second hinge axis defining a plane, and said first hinge axis being spaced from said plane in a predetermined direction when said operating lever is in the locking position thereof, and movable in a direction toward said plane when said operating lever moves away from said locking position thereof.

4. An arrangement as set forth in claim ll, wherein said carrier arm means defines a cavity therein, said por tion of said operating lever and said intermediate lever being contained in said cavity.

5. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said arm means defines a cavity therein, the arrangement further comprising guide means for guiding movement of said latch member between the positions thereof in a direction inward and outward of said cavity.

6. An arrangement as set forth in claim 5, wherein said guide means include a pin member secured on said arm means and engaging an elongated recess in said latch member.

7. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a guide arm pivoted to said arm means for movement about said other fixed axis and carrying said top roller means, said resilient means being operatively connected to said guide arm for pivoting the same toward said bottom roller means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,870,488 1/59 Werth 19267 2,917,786 12/59 Dausch 19-281 X FOREIGN PATENTS 800,730 12/50 Germany. 755,656 8/56 Great Britain.

DONALD W. PARKER, Primary Examiner.

RUSSEL C. MADER, Examiner. 

1. A TOP ROLLER ARRANGEMENT FOR A DRAWING MECHANISM WHICH COMPRISES: (A) A SUPPORT; (B) CARRIER ARM MEANS MOVABLE ON SAID SUPPORT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM AN OPERATIVE POSITION; (C) BOTTOM ROLLER MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT; (D) TOP ROLLER MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID ARM MEANS FOR COOPERATION WITH SAID BOTTOM ROLLER MEANS WHEN SAID ARM MEANS IS IN SAID OPERATIVE POSITION; (E) RESILIENT MEANS ON SAID ARM MEANS FOR UGING SAID TOP ROLLER MEANS TOWARD SAID BOTTOM ROLLER MEANS, WHEREBY SAID ARM MEANS IS RESILIENTLY URGED AWAY FROM SAID OPERATIVE POSITION; (F) CATCH MEANS ON SAID SUPPORT; (G) AN OPERATING LEVER PIVOTABLE ABOUT A PIVOT AXIS FIXED ON SAID ARM MEANS TOWARD AND AWAY FROM A LOCKING POSITION; (H) A LATCH MEMBER MOVABLE ON SAID ARM MEANS BETWEEN A LOCKING POSITION IN WHICH SAID LATCH MEMBER ENGAGES SAID CATCH MEANS WHEN SAID ARM IS IN SAID OPERATIVE POSITION, AND A RELEASING POSITION SPACED FROM SAID LOCKING POSITION; AND (I) MOTION TRANSMITTING MEANS INTERPOSED BETWEEN A PORTION OF SAID LEVER AND SAID LATCH MEMBER FOR MOVING SAID LATCH MEMBER BETWEEN SAID POSITIONS THEREOF A DISTANCE GREATER THAN THE DISTANCE MOVED BY SAID LEVER PORTION WHEN SAID LEVER PIVOTS ABOUT SAID PIVOT AXIS; SAID MOTION TRANSMITTING MEANS CONSTITUTING A LINKAGE PERMANENTLY CONECTING SAID LEVER TO SAID LATCH MEMBER FOR JOINT MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE RESPECTIVE LOCKING POSITIONS, SAID LINKAGE INCLUDING AN INTERMEDIATE LEVER MEMBER MOUNTED FOR PIVOTING MOVEMENT ABOUT ANOTHER AXIS FIXED ON SAID ARM MEANS AND SPACED FROM SAID PIVOT AXIS. 